By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, under fire for being too quick to use lethal force, will train officers to defuse threats following the deaths of at least 19 people since 2010 in incidents on the northern and southern borders. The changes announced on Wednesday came in response to a letter signed by 16 members of Congress in May 2012, calling for a review of use-of-force incidents and...

By Tim Gaynor PHOENIX, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, under fire for being too quick to use lethal force, will train officers to defuse threats following the deaths of at least 19 people since 2010 in incidents on the northern and southern borders. The changes announced on Wednesday came in response to a letter signed by 16 members of Congress in May 2012, calling for a review of use-of-force incidents and...

A group effort helped save the life of a 68-year-old man from Poland who collapsed Sunday afternoon while getting processed at the customs' inspection area at O'Hare International Airport, officials said today. The man, who had just arrived on LOT Polish Airlines from Warsaw, came to Chicago to visit his daughter in west suburban Addison. But when he went to get processed through customs at the federal inspection area, he collapsed and became unconscious,...

Here's another benefit of traveling light: Passengers who arrive at O'Hare International Airport from overseas without checked luggage now can get around what had been unavoidable delays, thanks to a new streamlined entry process. Arriving international travelers with just carry-ons and proper documentation can stop at a booth staffed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, then proceed to an express lane that bypasses baggage claim and CBP exit inspection areas, according to the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An agreement to extend U.S. customs pre-clearance operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates has drawn questions and criticism from nearly a dozen senators. Pre-clearance allows U.S.-bound passengers to get advance approval to enter the United States from locations in airports outside the country. "We question whether the Department (of Homeland Security) has the authorization to enter into such an agreement, and...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An agreement to extend U.S. customs pre-clearance operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates has drawn questions and criticism from nearly a dozen senators. Pre-clearance allows U.S.-bound passengers to get advance approval to enter the United States from locations in airports outside the country. "We question whether the Department (of Homeland Security) has the authorization to enter into such an agreement, and...

Add/update to the Weekahead Please add and update the following to the Reuters Diary for the Week Ahead for Saturday, May 19 through Friday, May 25, 2012: Saturday, May 19 No items added or updated. Sunday, May 20 No items added or updated. Monday, May 21 11 a.m. -- (GWU/GOODS/CHARITY) EVENT -- The George Washington University (GWU) holds a Green Move-Out event in which students will donate food, clothing, books...

A group effort helped save the life of a 68-year-old man from Poland who collapsed Sunday afternoon while getting processed at the customs' inspection area at O'Hare International Airport, officials said today. The man, who had just arrived on LOT Polish Airlines from Warsaw, came to Chicago to visit his daughter in west suburban Addison. But when he went to get processed through customs at the federal inspection area, he collapsed and became unconscious,...

A new Transportation Security Administration initiative that lets trusted travelers bypass the airport screening line is on the verge of an ambitious expansion. By the end of the year, PreCheck, a government program that offers expedited screening to those who submit to an initial background check, is expected to be available in 35 airports. Although many air travelers are fixated on how to score a coveted clearance, which would give them access to an express lane where they don't...

Add/update to the Weekahead Please add and update the following to the Reuters Diary for the Week Ahead for Saturday, May 19 through Friday, May 25, 2012: Saturday, May 19 No items added or updated. Sunday, May 20 No items added or updated. Monday, May 21 11 a.m. -- (GWU/GOODS/CHARITY) EVENT -- The George Washington University (GWU) holds a Green Move-Out event in which students will donate food, clothing, books...

While proponents of racial profiling such as columnist Jonah Goldberg argue that profiling "makes sense" and therefore should be allowed into the policies of law-enforcement officials, in actuality racial profiling is inefficient in terms of security and illegal in terms of law. In his opinion piece "Face it: Profiling makes sense; Race should be factor in detaining travelers" (Commentary, Aug. 18), Goldberg argues that U.S. Customs and Border Protection should allow its officers to racially...

A new Transportation Security Administration initiative that lets trusted travelers bypass the airport screening line is on the verge of an ambitious expansion. By the end of the year, PreCheck, a government program that offers expedited screening to those who submit to an initial background check, is expected to be available in 35 airports. Although many air travelers are fixated on how to score a coveted clearance, which would give them access to an express lane where they don't...

Here's another benefit of traveling light: Passengers who arrive at O'Hare International Airport from overseas without checked luggage now can get around what had been unavoidable delays, thanks to a new streamlined entry process. Arriving international travelers with just carry-ons and proper documentation can stop at a booth staffed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, then proceed to an express lane that bypasses baggage claim and CBP exit inspection areas, according to the...

While proponents of racial profiling such as columnist Jonah Goldberg argue that profiling "makes sense" and therefore should be allowed into the policies of law-enforcement officials, in actuality racial profiling is inefficient in terms of security and illegal in terms of law. In his opinion piece "Face it: Profiling makes sense; Race should be factor in detaining travelers" (Commentary, Aug. 18), Goldberg argues that U.S. Customs and Border Protection should allow its officers to racially...

More drugs are being intercepted in foreign mail sent through O'Hare International Airport, authorities said today, and some of the credit can go to a "wonder dog" named Rogue. Since transferring from a Cincinnati facility to O'Hare in April, Rogue has detected hundreds of shipments of drugs worth more than $4 million, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The latest find was on Sept. 11,...